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Gender differences in anti-osteoporosis drug treatment after osteoporotic fractures

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Abstract

This study examined differences between men and women in factors affecting anti-osteoporosis drug treatment after osteoporotic fracture. Using a national claims database, we analyzed patients aged 50 years and older who experienced their first osteoporotic fracture between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2012. We examined whether patients were prescribed anti-osteoporosis drugs within 6 months post-fracture. Factors associated with treatment status were identified using multivariate logistic regression. Among a total of 556,410 patients aged 50 and older, only 37% were prescribed anti-osteoporosis drugs within 6 months post-fracture. Female patients with fractures were more likely to receive pharmacotherapy than male patients (41.7 vs. 19.3%). Older age significantly increased the likelihood of receiving anti-osteoporosis drugs after osteoporotic fracture. For men, the adjusted odds ratio for receiving therapy was greatest in those aged 80 years and older (OR 6.4), and for women, it was largest in those aged 70–79 (OR 3.33). Both men and women were more likely to be prescribed drugs after a spine fracture, with men having significantly greater odds of receiving drug therapy (men, OR 7.1, 95% CI 6.5–7.9; women 4.79, CI 4.63–4.96). Patients with rheumatic disease or other osteoporosis-inducing comorbid disease were more likely to be prescribed anti-osteoporosis drugs. Our findings indicate that a lack of anti-osteoporosis pharmacotherapy after fracture remains a problem in Korea, especially among men, highlighting the need for effective quality improvement interventions to maximize post-fracture treatment rates.

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Notes

  1. We only analyzed patients with clinical vertebral fracture.

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Acknowledgements

The National Health Insurance Database was made available by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) of Korea (NHIS-2017-4-054). The authors would like to thank the NHIS for its cooperation. This research was supported by a grant from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Korea (grant number HI13C1522).

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Author notes

  1. Youn Jung and Yeonhee Ko contributed equally to this work as first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Sejong, Republic of Korea

    Youn Jung

  2. Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, South Korea

    Yeonhee Ko

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Wonkwang University Sanbon Hospital, Gunpo, South Korea

    Ha Young Kim

  4. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Yong Chan Ha

  5. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea

    Young-Kyun Lee

  6. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Konkuk University Hospital, School of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea

    Tae-Young Kim

  7. Big Data Steering Department, National Health Insurance Service, Wonju, South Korea

    Dong-soo Choo

  8. College of Pharmacy and Gachon Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Gachon University, 191 Hambakmoei-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 21936, South Korea

    Sunmee Jang

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  1. Youn Jung
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Correspondence to Sunmee Jang.

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Jung, Y., Ko, Y., Kim, H.Y. et al. Gender differences in anti-osteoporosis drug treatment after osteoporotic fractures. J Bone Miner Metab 37, 134–141 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-018-0904-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-018-0904-5

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